A big shout- out to Randolph Charles Belle for hosting Oakland Voices Cohort Group #6 at his space, RBA Creative, for our twice -a- month meetings. For sometimes entrusting his keys to our coordinator so he could get home to his family. For being alert and helpful during our meetings. For the proficiency and efficiency …Read more…

Recently in the midst of so much heaviness on all fronts, I went looking for some hope. I returned to poetry, my first written love form. I stumbled upon a poem that my former student (a third, fourth or fifth- grader at the time) typed up for a poetry appreciation class I led at Sequoia’s …Read more…

The OV team was assigned to interview East Oakland residents about Where Is East Oakland and What Is East Oakland Now. I interviewed six subjects and five of them were included in our video, presented at KALW local public radio’s Sights and Sounds of East Oakland event in May. Avraham had more to share than …Read more…

I’m sure that you received the message in part one that everything you need for sustainability can be found at Eastmont TC. Your problem with or question about food, money, clothing, housing, medical/dental/mental health or assistance with your aging family member(s) were practically eradicated. Eastmont TC offers that and much more! New Information Board of …Read more…

Eastmont Town Center, located on 73rd and Bancroft, is a hub for all one’s needs or, at least a big stepping stone. Firstly, on the first floor you will find the Self-Sufficiency Center, known as the social services agency, that’s federally-funded; visited when a person is in need of cash, food, and/or medical insurance. The …Read more…

Every morning when I look at my bathroom mirror, I notice how my face has changed since I first started noticing that my face does indeed change during my teen years, almost 30 years ago. I notice now how my face has steadily gotten chubbier and the lines around my eyes aren’t as …Read more…

Some people wait on life to define them and others design and define life for themselves. When you get that opportunity to show off your design, make sure you print big. Early Eighties In the early eighties, Dawaud Muhammad remembers black homeowners whose parents had migrated to Oakland from Louisiana and Mississippi as his neighborhood …Read more…

When I was younger, I lost my wallet and turned my house upside down looking for it. I had worked a graveyard shift at work and after resting in the morning, that afternoon I went to get dressed and I couldn’t find it. I frantically tore my room then the whole house upside-down looking for …Read more…

Do you know anyone who is or was a teen mother? Were you a teen mother yourself? Teen pregnancy in the United States ranks higher than any other country. According to the thenationalcampaign.org, “as of 2016, the teen birth rate was 20.3 births per 1,000 teen girls (age 15-19), and there were 209,480 births to …Read more…

Tam Nguyen’s Story (1959-Current); retold by his daughter Chrystal Nguyen In 1975, the capital of Vietnam fell to the communist Northern Vietnamese Army. In 1978, thousands of Vietnamese citizens began risking their lives to escape the communist reign, in hopes of reaching a country with promising freedom and safety. Many of them gathered on small …Read more…